In the 1970's, Dr. Gordon Shaw pioneered the use of spatial-temporal (ST) reasoning as a learning mode, and noted that the U.S. education system had historically relied on the language-analytical portion of human reasoning to teach students. Since then, our understanding of neuroscience and learning has grown, and that research now informs the development of virtual learning environments.
Special learners (e.g. early childhood, English as a second language, the learning disabled, etc.) are not adequately served by existing training tools. Additionally, many adults struggle with varying degrees of literacy. Efforts to raise literacy and mathematical competency in youth increase the need for creative educational paradigms and effective user interfaces within virtual learning environments.
Embodiment, or the use of physical manipulatives, as a means of teaching mathematical concepts is one example of such a creative educational paradigm. Embodiment relies on a constructivist educational paradigm, which can build upon the student's physical intuitions and broaden understanding to more abstract ideas. The use of manipulatives in teaching mathematics accesses ST reasoning pathways.
Increasingly, computer displays are equipped with touch-sensitive screens, and many mobile computers integrate a touch-sensitive interface in place of a pointing device and/or a keyboard. Many software applications and games have been reconfigured to allow users' hands and fingers to take the place of the pointing device, but the nature of the graphical user interface (GUI) on the display remains largely the same as it does in a computer display that is not touch sensitive.
Widgets can be used as tools that facilitate interactively solving problems within a virtual learning environment. GUI Widgets endowed with real-world characteristics allow users to intuitively engage them in a virtual environment. Additionally, GUI Widgets in the virtual training apparatus are pedagogically effective if they empower the user to identify the answer to the problem. A GUI Widget's appearance as a real-world object implies a function, and can prompt the user to create an answer within a range of possible solutions.
A need exists for improving the user interface in a virtual learning environment by introducing interactive, animated GUI Widgets, which engage participation and facilitate problem solving on an intuitive level. Further, a need exists to make these widgets available on a touchscreen and optimize kinesthetic reinforcement within the training environment.